EXPOSURE ASSESSMENTS FOR SETTING NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Qingyu Meng
School of Public Health, UMDNJ

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been implementing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) for 40 years. NAAQS (primary standards) are set to protect public health from adverse health
effects due to exposures to criteria pollutants, with an adequate margin of safety. One of the key
components for setting NAAQS is exposure assessment, which is a critical link between ambient air quality
and adverse health outcomes.

Studies were conducted to examine personal exposures to various air pollutants, and the associations
between personal exposures and ambient concentrations measured at community air monitoring stations
(personal-ambient associations). Inter-personal and intra-personal variations in the personal-ambient
associations are characterized. Factors affecting the strength of the personal-ambient associations are
discussed. The personal-ambient association is a component of exposure error and affects the
interpretation of air pollution epidemiological study results used in setting NAAQS.